Young Britons think holding door open is SEXIST - but pulling a chair out at dinner is OK

Young Britons think holding door open is SEXIST - but pulling a chair out at dinner is OK

MORE than one in four Brits think the age of chivalry is dead, new figures reveal.

PUBLISHED: 00:00, Tue, Dec 1, 2015
| UPDATED: 09:43, Tue, Dec 1, 2015

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Is chivalry dead?

But surprisingly, three times as many men as women say it is because they believe acts such as holding doors open or giving up a seat on public transport is "outdated and sexist".

These, and other traditional gestures such as stopping to help a stranded female motorist, are gradually dying out with each new generation, said the survey of 1,000 adults by search engine Ask Jeeves.

Fortunately for traditionalists, a majority of both men and women believe such acts are still acceptable in modern Britain but the signs are that it is older rather than younger people who mainly think so.

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Ask Jeeves found 26 per cent of all Brits thought chivalry no longer exists - rising, perhaps surprisingly, to 29 per cent of women but only 24 per cent of men.

However, nine per cent of men compared to three per cent of women said chivalry is an outdated and sexist concept today.

Only seven per cent of women believe chivalry is alive and well today, rising to 23 per cent of all men.

A majority of Britain's male and female population still approve of men pulling the chair out at the dinner table for them, so some old habits are still considered polite rather than sexist it seems.

But these may be traditions that are dying out as it is older generations most likely to maintain such acts of courtesy in this day and age, the Ask Jeeves survey reveals.

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One in four Brits think chivalry is dead and gone

It found, overall, 88 per cent of women and 82 per cent of men think it is okay for a man to hold open a door for women but this falls dramatically to just 74 per cent of Brits aged between 30 and 44.

Over two thirds (68 per cent) of women and 71 per cent of men think this also applies to opening a car door for a female passenger but, again, falls to just 57 per cent of those aged 30-44.

There is always room in society, it seems, for those who want to be nice to others

Spokesperson for Ask Jeeves

Only 13 per cent of the under 30s think it is right for men to stand when a woman enters the room compared to 32 per cent of those age over 60 for instance.

Another old fashioned habit, of men walking nearest the road when with a woman to prevent her being splashed by passing traffic, gets the approval of 48 per cent of all Brits overall but only 13 per cent under 30.

And men offering a female companion his jacket if she is cold is a romantic gesture which 45 per cent of all age groups would say yes to, but falling to only 27 per cent of those under 30.

This suggests the traditions are gradually dying out with newer generations brought up on the idea that, perhaps, such actions are not representative of sexual equality.

However, some believe chivalry is more than that. Nearly half (47 per cent) believe it is simply being polite and courteous to others and 51 per cent think young adults would benefit from being more chivalrous.

It does not mean some old habits are considered sexist today.

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Many men see chivalry as outdated and sexist

Only eight per cent of all ages think it is acceptable to wolf whistle women and only 10 per cent would consider it okay for a man to send over a drink to a female stranger in a bar and only 12 per cent think men can address women as 'darling'.

A spokeswoman for Ask Jeeves said: "It seems many people believe the age of chivalry could be dead but it is heartening to note that the concept of being polite and courteous to others is still alive and kicking.

"There is always room in society, it seems, for those who want to be nice to others."